|
Pages: [1]
|
 |
|
 Author
|
Topic: Public Records office moving to Chippenham (Read 6866 times)
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
I understand that work has just started (or is about to start) on the new Wiltshire Public Records office in Chippenham, moving the archives away from what is stated to be a substandard building in Trowbridge. The old cattle market site is near the station in Chippenham, from where it will be easily accessible. Travel to Chippenham from Salisbury and Trowbridge is possible using the direct rail link from Southampton to Swindon. However, this link is currently under threat from December 2006. According to the data I have, the new records office is expected to open in 2007 or 2008. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Nick Field
|
Graham I can confirm that that building work is now quite advanced on the new records office in Chippenham as I walked past the site today, I am not sure exactly when it is due to open however. As I mentioned in my other post there was quite heated debate about this new records office, with people from the south of the county complaining about poor transport links up to Chippenham. I think there were petitions and campaign groups against it as well, any way thats irrelevant now as the work is under way but I am sure these people wouldnt be too happy if the numbers of trains were cut! I am sure Wiltshire County Council must have some report or stats on how many people will be using this new facility per annum, now how many of them would be from Salisbury, Warminster, Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham I wonder?
Nick
PS the new site is just 100 metres down the road from Chippenaham station, making the train via Melksham by far the easiest way to get there for those travelling from south and west wilts. (there is only one road in and out and it gets quite congested at peak hours)
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: September 26, 2005, 09:00:49 AM by Nick Field »
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
re: Transport and Times Telegraph, Issue 12 (An April 2007 publication from Wiltshire County Council)
Dear Sir,
I have just picked up a copy of your publication detailed above, and I have been reading about the History Centre in Chippenham.
I note that you say that the centre is due to open to the public in October, and will allow general public access to the records. You also state that a shared-use path has been completed to provide a route from the station to the history centre for pedestrians and cyclists.
I applaud the steps you have taken to integrate the new centre with the railway system at Chippenham, but I am concerned at the apparent lack of trains at appropriate times from and to any other stations in the County Council's area. As far as I can see, there's a train that arrives in Chippenham at half past seven in the morning (long before the centre will be open, I suspect), and one that leaves at about 7 O'Clock at night - probably long after the centre has shut for the day.
Could you please tell me what steps are being taken to improve the train service from when the centre opens in October to allow it to be realistically accessible by train from elsewhere in Wiltshire - perhaps you would like to use my home town of Melksham as an example in your answer.
Many thanks
Graham Ellis
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Lee
|
Here is an interesting background quote which may or may not be relevant : Thanks, Graham. Sorry to say I have no connection at all with the stone companies, and sadly no time to chase them up - but I'm sure it won't be too hard to find a willing volunteer to at least write to them.
Thinking back to when the line in Melksham was reopened to passenger traffic (which I have a short film of on video, by the way! It was screened on ITV I think as part of a programme about Dr. Beeching, the "evil mastermind" behind the closure of much of Britain's railways system - Melksham was for a while the first post-Beeching station in the country to be reopened) - thinking back to that time, local gossip had it that the real reason the line and station was reopened was that the rail company had opened some new offices in Swindon and were relocating people from elsewhere (Bristol maybe, or possibly London), and because there was a lot of house-building going on in Melksham at the time, they offered the workers a relocation package which included a cheap new home in Melksham and free rail travel to and from Swindon. So, it suited them to reopen the station, but obviously not to actually inject any money into the project - hence the crappy little shelter we ended up with. Ooh and some bike racks. Woo-hoo.
This is pure conjecture and gossip, mind, and I can't even recall who the company in question was at the time; but it's almost definitely another piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
Phil. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lee
|
The local studies library in Trowbridge is moving to a new home at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham (link below.) http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/display.var.1642467.0.local_studies_library_to_close.phpThe move will mean that the it will have to close for a short period of time , although an online service will be maintained. To enable the changes to take place it will also be necessary to temporarily close the Trowbridge reference library. The local studies library on Bythesea Road will close on Saturday , September 15. The documents will be moved to the new centre which will open with the Wiltshire and Swindon archives and other heritage services at 9.30am on Wednesday , October 31 2007. Trowbridge reference library , also based on Bythesea Road , will close while the local studies library is being moved out of the building. The closure will take place from 4pm Saturday , September 15 until 9am Thursday , September 20. During the closures , local history enquiries will be answered by email on localstudies@wiltshire.gov.uk. And enquiries for the local studies library can be made either by email on libraryenquiries@wiltshire.gov.uk or by contacting Wiltshire County Council on 01225 713000. The Trowbridge lending library will be unaffected by this closure. Wiltshire County Council has apologised for any inconvenience caused while this move takes place. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
re: Transport and Times Telegraph, Issue 12 (An April 2007 publication from Wiltshire County Council)
Dear Sir,
I have just picked up a copy of your publication detailed above, and I have been reading about the History Centre in Chippenham.
[snip]
Could you please tell me what steps are being taken to improve the train service from when the centre opens in October to allow it to be realistically accessible by train from elsewhere in Wiltshire - perhaps you would like to use my home town of Melksham as an example in your answer.
Many thanks
Graham Ellis
I have yet to receive an answer .... perhaps it's a hard question, but it shouldn't be - when you move a major resource, surely you should plan the access - especially if you're the local transport authority for the area  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
courgettelawn
|
I have received no assurances at all from Wiltshire CC over transport to the new record office and local studies library due to open next month in Chippenham. Apparently there is an Key Bus Route Network which connects all important centres of Wiltshire but I have yet to receive information on this also. However I feel relatively confident no such thing exists which takes in Salisbury and other south Wilts destinations. Readers of other threads concerning access to the archives will see that the issue of transportation was brought up during initial consultation about the move but was ignored. The candid comment left by John Ellis on my blog post about it is quite illuminating: http://tehmina.org/2007/06/12/access-to-archives/#comments |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Nick Field
|
One thing they did do was cut back some overgrown brambles, repair the fencing and widen the footpath from the station to the new offices. I noticed this during the early stages of contruction. So if you manage to catch a train from South or West Wilts you should at least have a trouble free short walk to complete your journey  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pages: [1]
|
|
|
 |
